Vibrator machine



Filed Oct. 4' 9 VIBRATOR HINE I; f M- 4 M 47 4 1' W W a 38 .IIH'? 3Sheet t 1 5 l t t ,0 [I0 in L l/O-r "7 /3 V INVENTOR 400/6 6'. 02

/m 49mm ATTORNEY5 Sept. 4, 1951 1. G. couRY VIBRATOR MACHINE 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 4, 1949 INVENTOR A 00/8 G. CO ue ATTORNEYSPatented Sept. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VIBRATOR MACHINELouis G. Coury, Passaic, N. J.

Application October 4, 1949, Serial No. 119,544

2 Claims.

This invention relates to vibratory therapeutic machines, and moreparticularly to a vibrator of the platform type adapted to impartvibrations to the human body for the purpose of stimulating the bloodcirculation, relieving nervous or muscular tension, and for otherwiserelieving bodily or psychological disturbances or discomforts.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedvibratory platform device upon which a person may stand and be given atreatment of a vibratory nature, said device being very simple inconstruction, including means for controlling the amplitude of thevibrations, and requiring very little maintenance.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved vibrator ofthe platform type, said vibrator being relatively inexpensive tomanufacture, being rugged in construction, being relatively quiet inoperation and requiring only a relatively small driving means.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a vibratory machine constructedin accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the machine of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure1;

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional detail view taken online 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is an enlarged elevational detail View of one of the rotatingweight elements carried by the shaft of the motor of the machine ofFigure 1;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line 99 ofFigure 3;

Figure 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on lineIll-40 of Figure 2;

Figure 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line |I ofFigure 3; a

Figure 12 is a schematic wiring diagram of the motor circuit employed inthe machine of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, II designates a rectangular shell secured atits bottom portion on a plate member l2 provided with the supportingfeet I3 located adjacent the respective corners of the plate member. Therear wall of the shell I I is designated at I4, and rigidly secured tosaid rear wall are the vertical arms l5, I5 of an upstanding, inverted,U-shaped, tubular support member IS. The top arm of the member I6 is 2 Ishown at H, and serves as a hand rail, as will be subsequentlydescribed.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the rear wall M of shell II is reinforcedat the connections of the arms l5, I5 thereto by a pair of horizontalangle bars I8, I8 through which the bolts I 9, l9, securing the arms l5,l5 to the wall l4, pass.

The angle bars l8, l8 may be secured in addition to the rear wall M byother bolts 20, 20.

Designated at 2| are respective cylindrical spring members, preferablyof solid rubber or similar resilient material, the lower portions of themembers 2| being secured in receptacles 22 provided with depending axialstuds 23. Secured to the respective side walls of the shell ll, shown at24, 24, are a pair of angle brackets 25, 25, the depending studs 23 ofeach of the receptacles 22 passing through the horizontal arm of abracket 25 and being rigidly secured thereto by a nut 26. Each of thesolid spring members 2| extends a substantial distance above the topplane of the shell I I and has embedded in its upper portion aninternally-threaded, axial insert 21. Designated at 28 is a plate membersecured to the respective solid springs 2| by machine screws 29threadedly engaging the inserts 21. The top surface of the plate member28 is provided with a resilient rubber pad 30 fastened thereto by anysuitable means. Designated at 3! is an electric motor suspended beneathand rigidly secured to the plate member 28 at its central portion, as bya pair of hanger brackets 32, 32, clampingly surrounding the motorhousing, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

The motor shaft is shown at 33 and projects axially from the motor atopposite ends. thereof. Secured to the respective ends of the shaft 33are the arms 34, 34, each arm being formed with an enlarged weight ball35, said weight balls being substantially in longitudinal alignment.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the arms 34 are rigidly secured to theshaft 33, as by transverse bolts 36 passing through the arms 34 and theshaft 33 and secured by nuts 31. The radial distances of the weightballs 35 from the shaft 33 are the same for each of the weight balls,and when the motor 3| is energized, the weight balls 35, 35 rotate insynchronism and develop synchronous centrifugal forces acting on theshaft 33 and through the motor 3| and its brackets 32 on the plate 28,causing said plate to oscillate vertically as the shaft 33 rotates.

As shown in Figure 11, the shell II is braced at its corners by verticalangle bars 36 welded to the shell at said corners, thereby making theshell I I very rigid.

As shown in Figure 10, the resilient pad 36 may be securely clamped tothe plate 28 by corner screws 39 passing through washers 4G bearing onthe resilient pad 30, said screws being threadedly engaged in the plate28.

As shown in Figure 9, the supporting feet l3 are preferably made ofrubber or similar resilient material, and are provided withthreaded-inserts 4! in which are engaged the shanks of fas tening screws42 passing through the plate member 12.

Transversely secured to the upper portions of the vertical arms l5, lare horizontal bars 43, 43 to the intermediate portions of which issecured a rectangular housing member 44 containing a rheostat whoseshaft projects through the front wall of the housing 44 and has mountedthereon a knob 45. The front wall of the housing 4% is provided with ascale plate 46 suitably calibrated, the knob 45 being provided with apointer ll movable over the calibrations of the scale plate 36.

As shown in Figure 12, the motor 3! has connected to one of itsterminals a line wire 38 and to the other of its terminals a wire it.Wire id is connected to the movable tap of the rheostat. shown at 55,and connected to the end terminal of rheostat 50 is a line wire 51. Thewire 49 extends upwardly from the shell I I and enters the housing idthrough its lower wall, whereas the wire 51 passes through the lowerwall of the housing i l and enters the right-hand, tubular 55, as viewedin Figure 1, and then passes downwardly through said tubular arm,enterin the housing H through the lower portion of the arm l5 and therear wall 14 of the housing, as shown in Figure 5. The wires Q6 and 5!are joined to define a two-wire line cord 52 which emerges from thehousing I! through the bottom wall E2 of said housing.

. As shown in Figure 12, the rheostat 58 is in normal open-circuitposition, wherein the mov able tap of the rheostat disengages from thewinding thereof and whereby the motor 35 is normally de-energized. usingthe machine stands on the platform defined. by plate 28 and pad 30,holding the rail I1 and energizes motor 3! by rotating knob 45 so thatthe movable tap of the rheostat engages the end of the rheostat winding.Since most of the rheostat winding is in series with the motor 3! atthis point, the motor rotates at relatively low speed, thereby providinga low amplitude and slow speed of vertical oscillation of the platform.To increase the amplitude and speed of vertical oscillation. of theplatform, the knob 45 is rotated so as to cut out more of the winding ofthe rheostat It is thus seen that the amplitude of oscil lation of theplatform may be regulated by adjusting the knob 45, the degree ofadjustment being indicated by the pointer 4'! in conjunction with thescale plate 46.

It will be apparent that the rail I! will be relatively stationary,while the motor 3| is energized, since the shell H is cushioned withrespect to the oscillating platform 28 through the solid rubber springs2!. Therefore, the person employing the machine may support himselfwhile undergoing a vibratory treatment by grasping the horizontal rail II. At the end of the period of treatment, the person undergoing suchtreatment merely rotates the knob 45 so that the pointer 41 is moved tothe off position, whereby the motor 3! becomes de-energized.

While a specific embodiment of a vibratory therapeutic apparatus hasbeen disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood thatvarious modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that 'no limitationsIn operation, the person said platform at the under side thereof anddepending into said base, said motor including a shaft, and weightseccentrically carried by the motor shaft for imparting vibration to saidplatform upon rotation of the motor shaft, means resiliently mountingsaid platform on said base comprising angle brackets secured to saidbase one near each corner thereof and projecting inwardly of the base,upwardly opening receptacles secured one on each bracket, solid blocksof resilient material disposed at the under side of said platform withinsaid receptacles, an internally screw threaded insert in each block atthe end thereof adjacent said platform, and screws extending throughcorresponding apertures in said platform and threaded into thecorrespondinserts to secure said blocks to said platform, said blocksbeing'received at their ends remote from said platform by correspondingcups carried by said brackets.

2. In a platform vibrator having a hollow rectangular base provided witha bottom wall and an open upper side, a rectangular platform disposed atthe upper side of said base, a motor secured to said platform at theunder side thereof and depending into said base, said motor including ashaft, and weights eccentrically carried by the motor shaft forimparting vibration to said platform upon rotation of the motor shaft,means resiliently supporting said base and resiliently mounting saidplatform on said base comprising solid blocks of resilient materialdisposed at the outer side of said bottom wall and one near each cornerof said base, a screw threaded insert in each block at the end thereofadjacent said bottom wall, screws extending through correspondingapertures in said bottom wall and threaded into said inserts to securesaid blocks to the bottom wall of said base, angle brackets secured tosaid base one near each corner thereof above said bottom wall andprojecting inwardly of the base, upwardly opening receptacles securedone on each bracket, solid blocks of resilient material disposed at theunder side of said platform, an internally screw threaded insert in eachof said last mentioned blocks at the end thereof adjacent said platform,and screws extending through corresponding apertures in said platformand threaded into corresponding inserts in the last mentioned blocks tosecure such blocks 'to said platform, said last mentioned'blocks beingreceived at their ends remote from said platform by correspondingreceptacles carried by said brackets.

LOUIS G. COURY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,709,410 Simmons Apr. 16,, 19292,235,183 Wettlaufer Mar. 18, 19.41 2,271,382 Worthington Jan. 27, 19i2FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 194,123 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1923417,550 Great Britain Oct. 8, 1934

